Traci Hong

Traci Hong’s program of research is at the nexus of health communication and new media technologies, where she advances communication theory by leveraging the media, including new media and social media, to promote behavioral change that can lead to beneficial health outcomes. She has examined how health media messaging can prevent smoking, vaping, alcohol consumption, and other risky health behaviors. She has also researched the related effects of peer influence, including as simulated in virtual gaming environments. Her work on social norms has been cited in the Surgeon General Report on Tobacco Health Disparities. Her most recent research employs AI, machine learning and social media analytics to make assessments pertinent to vaccine hesitancy and vaping behavior and policy. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Ford Foundation.

Hong was born in Saigon, Vietnam, and immigrated to the United States after the Vietnam War. Her earliest childhood memory in the U.S. was learning English by watching television—a formative experience that shaped her belief in the transformative power of media to foster positive outcome. At Boston University, she teaches courses on persuasion theory, media effects, and communication research methods. She is a Chapter Faculty Advisor for Tri-Alpha, the Honorary Society for first-generation college students. She serves on the Greater Boston Board of Directors of the American Heart Association, is a Core Director for Trust and Public Health Communication at the Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases, and a Research Fellow and on the Steering Committee at the Hariri Institute for Computing and Computational Science & Engineering.